Back to the polls ... for council

City council decided Monday that the Ward 6 council seat vacancy which resulted from the provincial byelection crowning of Ross Romano will be filled by appointment.

The appointment will last for the 15-plus months remaining in the municipal council term.

Almost anyone can apply for the job as long as the applicant is a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old and either reside or hold property in the city.

But don't worry about hearing from the candidates, seeking out their thoughts and opinions about the local issues near and dear to your heart or compare their views.

You, the constituent need not worry about that.

Because after all, city council has left that job to themselves.

The reason, councillors noted at last week's meeting when the decision was made, will save you, the taxpayer, money from going through a needless ward byelection.

The last byelection, held to replace former Ward 2 councillor Terry Sheehan, cost $48,055 and the city clerk's department estimated that a Ward 6 byelection would be in the similar cost range.

In addition, others argued, there is so little time left in this municipal term, that coupled with the costs, would be futile to hold a byelection.

Then of course it's the time length it takes to open and close nominations and have a byelection, especially during the difficult summer months.

So in other words, the cost and time factors have become more important to the majority of the sitting members of council than your right, as a municipal citizen, to exercise the democracy our forefathers fought for.

Kudos to Ward 4 Coun. Lou Turco who asked “what is the price of democracy? We, at the very least, need to leave it up to the people,” he quipped. He was the sole member of council who voted against the appointment process.

So that leaves our municipal fearless leaders with a task next Monday.

They will have to sift through the applications – as of late Friday Ozzie Grandinetti and Tiffany Sullivan had filed – and determine on behalf of Ward 6 residents who the best candidate will be.

Others are expected to join the race, perhaps even last byelection candidate Luke Dufour, who has appeared to resurrect his Facebook site under the title “Vote Luke Dufour.”

Well, we know that Ward 1 Coun. Steve Butland and Ward 2 Coun. Susan Myers proposed last week that council just rubber stamp the appointment of 2014 third-place finisher Grandinetti.

There are no educated guesses on how many people will apply for the seat by Tuesday's deadline at 4:30 p.m.

Myers, who seconded the motion to appoint Grandinetti, questioned how councillors would be able to choose from a number of applicants if the process was opened up to all.

“Ask yourself that question as part of your decision making process,” was the response received from staff.

So what happens now if either her or Butland reviews the letters, biographies and other documents the candidates put forward and decide that perhaps someone else may be suited for the job? Both have backed themselves in a very tight corner.

It was also disappointing to hear Ward 6 Coun. Joe Krmpotich say he'd be supportive of an appointment process. Although he pushed to have the process opened up to all who want to apply, he himself had just completed a byelection contest and knows the importance of having voters exercise their rights.

Ditto for Ward 2 Coun. Sandra Hollingsworth, who has her place around the council table now as a result of a byelection. If a closed appointment process had been used to replace Sheehan, she should never have been selected as the next in line because she hadn't previously run in the four-person Ward 2 race.

And how about the almighty open and transparent governance we hear so much about from city council. Filling the seat through a byelection is open and transparent. A group of 12 sitting around the table – albeit in an open meeting for all to see – is not really that open and transparent by definition of democracy.

So Ward 6 residents can watch the process next Monday night.

The pool of candidates will be presented to council.

The floor will then be open to nominations.

If more than one candidate is nominated, a voting system will begin where the top voter needs to get at least seven votes to win.

If no one achieves that in the first found of voting, the person with the lowest number of votes is dropped from the race and a new round of voting takes place.

There could be several rounds of voting.

If it comes down to two candidates, and the voting results in a 6-6 tie, then both names are tossed in a hat and the city clerk will draw the name of the winner.

The winner will be sworn in at the July 17 council meeting.

Good luck candidates. Good luck Ward 6 residents in having your voice heard.